"Hennessy HO": how to distinguish real French cognac from forgery

Expensive, refined drink "Hennessy HO" for many years remains the standard of quality among cognacs of the class Extra Old. Its unique composition includes more than a hundred different types of alcohols, and the average exposure is about 20-30 years.

The idea of creating a drink

Many great achievements, as is known, happen after tragedies and disasters. The creation of the legendary drink was no exception. Richard Hennessy, an Irish mercenary in the service in France, received a serious wound in 1765, after which he was sent to a hospital located near the city of Cognac. In the district of this town was very popular local brandy, which prompted Richard to think about neglecting the service and organizing his business.

Soon he founded his own Trading House in Cognac and began to produce the first grades of Hennessy. By a lucky coincidence, in Ireland, in the birthplace of Richard, this year there was a crop failure, and Hennessy provided the country with a booze of excellent quality. Even the eminent France, who knew a lot about brandy and wines, appreciated Richard's cognac.

First successes

During the French Revolution, the Trade House became the main exporter of cognac to North America, and a little later in other countries. In 1832, an epidemic of plague broke out in the capital of England. According to the doctors of that time, a good cognac , an antiseptic, used both for internal and external use, is the only medicine that can cure this ailment. The English court at that time was able to appreciate the whole taste of Hennessy.

By this time, the drink, in view of the fact that he fell in the soul of the emperor, favorably received in Russia. Literally shortly thereafter, cognac conquered Australia and Asia. In 1971, Hennessy officially announced that it had sold more than a million boxes of drinks with the same name.

And for 250 years now the famous Hennessi family is engaged in the cultivation of grapes and the manufacture of a unique cognac, so beloved all over the world.

Production technology

The world famous "Hennessy CW" is created by a special technology. Of the carefully selected varieties of grapes, white wine is made, which is distilled twice in cubes, called "alambic". Seventy-degree distilled liquid is left in barrels for many years to create an unrivaled drink. In the basement of Hennessey there are still reserves of the distant 1800. Mixing them with other alcohols, get the most interesting to your taste and aroma drinks.

"Hennessy HO": how to distinguish a fake

French cognac "Hennessy" has a high cost, which causes the interest of bootleggers. Unfortunately, the probability for a decent amount to get a low-quality liquor is great enough, and therefore, before you buy a Hennessy XO, a forgery which occurs quite often, you need to know how to distinguish real products from falsified.

First of all, it should be borne in mind that this cognac has an elegant package, represented by a cardboard box of a dark amber hue. It must necessarily be an image of a hand with a halberd, which is the coat of arms of the Hennessy trading house.

In addition, the legal supply of Hennessy CW to Russia is carried out exclusively by the company VX Group, and therefore the package must contain full information about this importer in Russian. Buying a drink in large stores, you should ask the employee for the presence of a certificate of quality for this brandy brand.

You should carefully inspect the bottle. It should be engraved in the form of leaves and grapes. The front side of the capacity of the present "Hennessy XO" has a sticker on the back of which the brand name of the brand is depicted. At the bottom of the original bottle there is a clear symmetrical pattern. It is worth paying attention to the cork of the tank: it should sit very tightly and remain stationary even with considerable effort to unscrew it.

For a fake "Hennessy XO" is characterized by a hint of slightly brewed tea, while the original features a bright saturated cognac color. French cognac has an excise stamp on which the name of the drink is indicated, its volume and aging time. Its absence is a clear sign of forgery.

And, finally, in Russia you can not buy a real "Hennessy XO" in half-liter bottles. Seeing the capacity of this volume, you can even not doubt that this is falsified products.

How much is "Hennessy HO"

The price for a real cognac of this brand is quite high, and therefore many drinks will not be affordable. So, the French "Hennessy HO" in a bottle with a capacity of only 0.35 liters will cost 3700 rubles, and 0.7 liters - at 6500-7000 rubles.

"Hennessy" - a truly male cognac - is a kind of original work of art. The one who once tried it, felt an unforgettable taste and inhaled the enchanting fragrance, never confuse the drink with anything else.